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It’s one of the most infamous debates in movie history: could Jack have fit on the floating debris with Rose at the end of Titanic? The question has persisted for over two decades, with fans, experts, and even MythBusters weighing in on whether the character could have survived if he’d shared the makeshift raft. Kate Winslet has always been a good sport despite being asked this question countless times, andshe recently revealed a surprising detail that even the most dedicated fans might not know. And, no, it’s not that she peed in the tank.
Appearing on the Australian talk show The Project, the Oscar winner anticipated the inevitable question about the floating object and Jack’s fate. Nevertheless, Kate Winslet addressed the query with great humor. She specifically said:
I’m gonna say to that, I knew you were going to ask me that question. I absolutely knew. I thought, ‘He’s busting out the Titanic question and next he’s gonna ask me about the door.’ I absolutely knew it.
She didn’t just offer up that remark above, though. Kate Winslet had something new to share—an overlooked behind-the-scenes Titanic fact about the infamous piece of debris. And this reveal might shift how fans of one of the best movies of the ’90s see the scene altogether. She clarified that what audiences have long assumed was a door, was not a door at all. In fact, it was an entirely different piece of the ship’s structure:
But, you know, what I will say that’s really interesting is people keep referring to it as a door. It actually wasn’t even a door. It’s a piece of banister, like stairway or something, that has broken off. Who knows if [Leonardo DiCaprio] could’ve [fit] on there or not. Honestly, I don’t have any insights here that anyone else hasn’t already tried to figure out.
Well, I’ll be a son of a gun… I had no idea. For nearly 30 years, I’ve been walking around thinking an entryway saved Rose. This revelation definitely flips the debate on its head. All those arguments about whether Jack and Rose could’ve both fit on that “door”? Yeah, they might need a second look. A banister’s shape, size, and buoyancy—if that’s what it really was—would probably make it way harder for two people to stay afloat without flipping it.
Even with this new nugget of information, the door—or should I say banister—debate likely won’t sink anytime soon. Director James Cameron himself has gone on record, explaining that it wasn’t about fitting but about whether the debris could support both their weights. The whole point was to highlight the tragic, star-crossed nature of their love story, which is exactly what made Titanic one of the best romantic movies ever. But, hey, when has logic ever stopped a passionate fandom from diving deep into their favorite theories, right?
So, there you have it. Kate Winslet’s latest tidbit is proof that even after all these years, there’s still room for new insights into the Academy Award-winning film’s most iconic (and controversial) moment. But something tells me the debate–and our hearts–will go on and on.
Fans can catch Kate Winslet in her 2024 movie schedule release, Lee, a British biographical drama about Vogue’s WWI photographer, Lee Miller. It’s still playing in select theaters and is streamable at home. You can also stream Titanic using a Paramount+ subscription.